The Art of Brainwaves and Neurofeedback
When you hear the words “waves” the first thing that would come to thought is most likely the ocean. Blue salty waves crashing down back to the sea as it rushes towards the shore reaching towards your feet, looking up you can view the sun gleaming through the horizon. Pretty descriptive right? Right now your brain is at its alpha state where alpha brainwaves are generating from within your brain.
Well, it is in that state, if you view the beach as a peaceful setting as if we were to close our eyes and begin picturing a tranquil place alpha brainwaves would increase. Besides the point, the ocean is not the only thing with waves! Your brains are filled up with them. They’re just not your average salty ocean breeze type rather more of electrical pulses and currents.
What are brain waves?
Fundamental units of the brain and the nervous system known as neurons are responsible for sending off electrical pulses that give you input on how you experience the overall external world. Within your brain, there are 100 billion neurons! Each individual communicating through these electrical pulses, and once masses of neurons are communicated together, brainwaves are produced.
Brainwaves generate an individual's overall personality, as they control their behavior, emotions, and thoughts. They are measured in cycles per second or hertz (Hz).
Brainwaves occur at various frequencies including:
Delta (1–3 Hz)
- The slowest brainwave with the highest amplitude. This brainwave is most active when we are asleep. As it is associated with different levels of awareness when we are within dominant brainwave states.
Theta (4–7 Hz)
- This brainwave occurs represents the twilight zone between waking up and sleeping. Generally, this is a very relaxed state, it’s normally in slow levels. It’s a very daydreamy space where the mind can associate with mental inefficiency.
Alpha (8–12 Hz)
- Generally associated with the state of relaxation waiting to respond is normally needing at this point to detect the brainwave. Generally, if you close your eyes and begin something peaceful, it increases these sorts of brainwaves.
Beta (13–38 Hz)
- These waves are smaller and faster. They normally generate when one is in a mental intellectual activity that is outwardly focused and concentrated. It is most shown when in a state of alertness.
Gamma (39–42 Hz)
- These are the fastest and most subtle brainwaves, they modulate in perception and consciousness.
Neurofeedback
A general EEG biofeedback is normally provided by mental health professionals such as psychologists, family therapists, and counselors. Normally when neurofeedback would be used in cases like therapy, clients would be worked with one-on-one.
Where training can also include nurses, clinical social workers, and rehabilitation specialists. Medical doctors would also provide the service with the exception of a psychiatrist as they would usually have the service by a trained staff persona.
Neurofeedback is used to teach self-control of brain functions to subjects by measuring brainwaves and sending an audio or video feedback signal. Either positive or negative feedback is produced for the desirable or undesirable brain activity.
EEGs include different electrode placements as there are different recording channels. Including frontal, temporal, central, and occipital lobes. Basically, the different areas within the brain can provide different sources of feedback.
Bipolar vs. Unipolar Mode:
There are two types of montages used during a neurofeedback treatment. This means there are two essential ways these waves can be recorded for a certain type of neurofeedback.
Within bipolar mode, two active electrodes are placed on separate sides of the skull. Its recording would be a common rejection that occurs during the recording procedure. Meaning that any external artifact would occur at both channels at the exact same time. External artifacts would include eye rolls and blinks.
The unipolar model is where an active electrode is also placed on the skull but is recorded signal by the active electrode is compared to the second electrode as it is entitled as the reference electrode. The activity of the reference electrode represents the brain activity of the active electrode.
These two are different ways on how to measure the brain waves; yet their similarities show now the significant difference in how results turn out.
Neurofeedback therapy:
The base principle of the operant condition in which it involves rewarding a person for inhibiting a certain brain wave and increasing others depends on the levels of cortical arousal. The audio and video is used for reinforcement during the neurofeedback training protocols
During a certain session, the patient can sit comfortably with electrode sensors placed on the scalp. These sensors can be read with electrical signals produced by the brain for them to be transmitted through a computer. It’s a non-invasive procedure that showed improvement during treatments for a variety of disorders. Yet its validity has been questioning in terms of the full scientific evidence of its actual effectiveness.
Types of Neurofeedback:
Frequency/power:
- 2–4 surface electrodes are placed on the head to change the amplitude or speed of a specific brain wave… in the particular brain, locations to treat ADHD, anxiety, and insomnia.
Slow Cortical Potential Neurofeedback (SCP-NF):
- improves direction of slow cortical potential which are slow event-related direct-current shifts of an EEG. It has negative directional shifts that reflect the depolarization of critical cell assemblices. This is beneficial for ADHD, epilepsy, and migraines.
Low-Energy Neurofeedback System (LENS):
- Delivers weak electromagnetic signals to change a patient’s brain wave while they are motionless and their eyes are closed. This is used to treat; traumatic brain injuries, ADHD, insomnia, fibromyalgia, restless legs syndrome, anxiety, depression, and anger.
Hemoencephalographic (HEG):
- General feedback on cerebral blood flow with the intentional purpose of increasing cerebral blood oxygenation. This is a general treatment for migraines.
Live Z-score:
- The introduction of repetitive compared variables of brain activity to the systematic database to again provide repetitive feedback. This is a treatment for insomnia.
Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (LORE-TA):
- 19 electrodes are placed on the head to monitor the different phases, power, and coherence to treat addictions, depression, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI):
- A recent innovation type of neurofeedback that regulates brain activity based on activity feedback from the deep subcortical areas of the brain.
Neurofeedback training is widely used in different disorders like:
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
- Schizophrenia
- Insomnia
- Learning Disabilities
- Dyslexia
- Drug Addiction
- Enhancing Performance of Athletes, Artists, and Surgeons
- Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
- Epilepsy
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Pain Management
- Eating Disorders
- Headaches
- Distraction
- Confusion
- Withdrawl
- OCD
- etc.
Expenses and Controversies
Many researchers have stated to criticized the use of neurofeedback as a money-making scam. As it is $3000 for the approximate 30 sessions. The questions arise as to whether the uses of the different formats of therapy really help improve patients or to make conditions worst.
The beneficial standpoint of the use of this technology could be exponentially grown once it’s figured how it could be fully effective because as of right now researchers are still taking into account different variables that can play throughout the whole process as the brain is still a full mystery.
